Door weather stripping and roof racks (1 Viewer)

[Riley]

Today I moved my roof racks from my 060 over to my 80. The racks are heavy duty made by uni-strut made in OZ. I know most folks will tell me to be using ARB but I think the problem will be the same on either.

The problem is that they clamp over rain gutter (good thing as it's strong) but since the weather stripping of the front door extends right up to the gutter, they interfere a little when opening and closing the door. Not really a big deal as the stripping just flips back into place but I'm wondering if it's going to tear after time.

On my 60 there was a little more clearance (say 1/8") but on the 80 it's tighter.

Those guys with the ARB racks must have a similar issue? does the weather stripping end up tearing after years of use?

FYI - the racks are just real strong rect tubes that can accept a bolt-on vertical metal post. It's a great setup for my 12' flyfishing boat OR for carting small amount of lumber. They make the TLC a very practical rig.

I'd really like to stay with the current setup and I think pretty much all strong rack setups will have this clamping issue.

Comments and advice welcome.

I suppose I could always get an idea of the cost of a D-door weatherstripping from C-Dan. That was I could replace it every 5 years but that's a pain.

 

[upcruiser]

I have a guttermount Thule bar and tower system that I have sevaral accesories for. The rack was used on my FJ60 prior also. I find that the weather stripping does rub a little, but I'm going on my 3rd year now and there is no noticeable signs of wear. It might be different with the ARB's clamp system though.

 

[Riley]

Thanks Kristian - that sounds good. I went ahead and bolted on my unistruts tonight and it seems ok. A little rubbing but not too bad. My wife gave a hard time though as she's worried abou her weather stripping.

Do you leave your racks on all the time?

Mine bolt on and it's a 20 min job to bolt them on and I don't feel like that hassle just before a trip. It's hard enough to pack up.

 

[IdahoDoug]

I also have a Thule system, and I took a hammer to the part that the weather strip rubs against to flatten it a bit and cause it to more precisely line up with the gutter. I think it was slightly more than a 90 degree angle, and I made it slightly less than 90 to minimize the rubbing. The Thule part also has a slick type of plastic coating that minimizes friction, so works quite well despite as you note a tight fit. You might try rubbing some paraffin on the metal part or another dry lube that won't attract grit/dust to ease the fit. We have our rack on 9 mos a year and with kids back there, the rear doors are open and shut many times each day. So far no sign of weatherstrip issues.

IdahoDoug

 

[upcruiser]

I leave mine on year round, in fact I lost the key for it. :'(

In the winter I have a ski box, in the summer I typically have two bike trays and a kayak stacker on. I just picked up a basket before my last trip and retrofitted it to the bars. I'll probably be taking it back off though as putting kayaks on now is a major pain.

 

[FDNewbie]

Anyone else have rubbing issues with their roof rack vs the door weatherstripping? I only have an issue with one door, and from 48 hrs of use, it's already cut the weatherstripping...

 

[breathed]

You could remove the plastic trim strip on your rain gutters. This would at least move the feet farther from your doors. I'm surprised to hear your weatherstripping was cut, though. I would think the clamp would need a sharp corner or burr to cause that.

I was having a hard time getting my Hannibal rack to fit quite right. The rack feet and clamps were too far apart laterally and when I tightened the clamps they would tend to slight outwards and were no longer squarely engaged with the underside of the rain gutters. Overnight I had the thought that since the rack was designed in South Africa where I believe Land Cruisers don't have the plastic trim on their rain gutters that the rack might fit better without it. I removed the rain gutter trim and was able to move the feet outward and clamps inward. The rack now clamps down to the rain gutter way better and the clamp/weatherstripping interference is reduced.